Luke phoned in the afternoon. Isobel had been in touch with him. Trust Isobel to embroider the story so elaborately that he was convinced his daughters had almost died from poisonous fumes before Victor rescued them and that they were now living permanently in Mount Eagle. He demanded to know why Sophy had not informed him immediately about their changed circumstances.
His accusatory tone sparked her own anger; an anger that had its roots in guilt as the scene from the previous night played over her mind.
‘It’s just a temporary arrangement,’ she reassured him. ‘We’re only staying here until we’re sure Hyland Hall is safe again.’
‘How long will that take?’
‘How do I know?’
‘Why didn’t you bring the girls to a hotel?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. It was the middle of the night.’
‘What’s going on, Sophy? Isobel said she saw you kissing this… this Victor.’
‘Isobel has a vivid imagination, as you well know. Victor helped us out of a very difficult situation. Living in Hyland Hall is difficult at the best of times and we’ll be back there soon enough. I can’t believe you’d begrudge your daughters some comfort.’
‘Their comfort is all I care about, Sophy.’
‘Then you should have thought about that before you made us homeless.’ She had hoped that all the bitterness she held was easing but there it was, stark and inflexible. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, you’re the reason I was forced to move to Hyland Hall,’ she continued. ‘I chose to do so because it provided us with a roof over our heads.’
‘So, what’s Victor Coyne providing—’
She hung up before he finished the question.
He phoned to apologise the following day. He sounded subdued, worried. Was he jealous? Afraid that Victor would replace him in the girls’ affections? As if she would allow another man to play a fatherly role in their lives. Since their separation, she had done everything she could not to pass on her anger to them. The number of times she wanted to vent, biting hard on her tongue to hold back a torrent of words that would endanger their bond with him.
They remained in Mount Eagle for a week. Victor made no attempt to rekindle the spark that had flamed briefly on that first night. He was at work during the day and retreated to his home office in the evenings. When Sophy was not at the hospital with Jack, she relaxed on the terrace and in the pool. In the evenings she cooked and when it was time to eat, she called the girls and Victor to the table. They ate in the conservatory. Garden lights glowed in the deepening twilight. The evenings were shortening and it seemed as if the earth had paused to take a breath before summer leached into autumn. As the days and nights passed, the shivering impulse that had led her upstairs and into his bedroom became more unreal, its choreography blurring into a dreamlike dance that had stumbled to a halt.
Chapter Fifteen
Sophy
Jack was ready to be discharged. He was sitting on the chair beside his bed when Sophy entered the ward, his walking stick clasped in both hands and planted firmly between his feet. No mistaking his determination. He was going home and nothing would stand in his way. He had made that perfectly clear when she spoke to him yesterday about Mount Eagle. No right time, as Victor had said, just lost time but she had waited until he was strong enough to listen to what his nephew had proposed.
‘How would you consider moving in with Victor for the winter?’ She had spoken carefully, her senses alert to his changing moods. ‘He thinks you’d be more comfortable living with him, even if it’s only for a few months. He has space for all of us and I think you’d be much safer there.’
‘When it comes to my business, I’m not paying you to think,’ he’d snapped in reply.
‘But you are paying me to look after your welfare.’ She had been taken aback by his abruptness. ‘Look at everything that’s happened. The dumps, the ceiling collapsing. The house is damp and needs to be insulated. Victor’s house would be much more accessible for you and a much healthier, safer environment.’
‘I appreciate that you’d like to improve your life, and that of your daughters, by moving into Mount Eagle but that’s not going to happen if you want to continue working for me.’
‘That’s unfair, Jack.’ She was stung by his comment. ‘My